together, we fall (in love)
by kahlen369
Summary: Everyone in the world magically receives their soulmark-a name tattooed on their wrist in colored ink-during their seventh birthday. On Regina's seventh birthday, she receives two. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, two little boys, each over seven years old already, each have a soulmark on their wrist that says the name "Regina".
1. Chapter 1

Today is Regina's seventh birthday. It is a magical number, and a magical year. Even her mother, normally not a superstitious woman, remarks on its significance, speaking of powers aligning and certain magica being possible. Regina doesn't really understand that much, because to her, being seven means one thing only. The seventh year one anyone's life is considered especially important because it is the year people receive their soulmarks.

These are the tattooed lines that appear on a person's wrist which reveal the name of their soulmate, that one person Fate has magically predetermined for you. Endless stories have been told again and again about soulmarks and the love a soulmate. There is an aura of myth that blends with fact, when it comes to them and their origins, but everyone knows one thing for certain, soulmarks and soulmates are a sacred, highly sought after thing. It is a rite of passage, a coming of age for children all over the world and across all cultures.

Like most, Regina has been looking forward to this day for years, and her excitement is a palpable thing.

Her older sister, Zelena, has been rubbing her soulmark ( _Hades_ , in electric blue, on her left wrist) in Regina's face for two years now, acting like she was impossibly grown up for having them even though she was still as much a child as she was. Even now, the nine-year-old kept rolling her eyes and scoffing at all the attention Regina was getting today.

Normally, Regina would pout or whine to Daddy about it, but today, she barely even notices. She is too busy grinning like a fool, heart racing in excitement as she takes periodic glances at her empty wrists, that will soon be not so empty. It's pointless to keep checking, really, because everyone knows they don't show up until midnight, but Regina can't help herself.

All throughout her birthday party, Regina is restless, only half her attention on the usual cake and presents. The real treat of the day will only come at night, when all the guests are gone. For once, she is allowed to stay up late to see her soulmarks. It's one more reason to be excited, and Regina feels just as grown-up as Zelena is always pretending to be as she stays up long past her bedtime. Maybe her sister has a point after all.

Speaking of her sister, Zelena was supposed to go to bed hours ago, but she threw a terrible tantrum that not even their mother's icy glare and harsh words could stop. Only the promise that she could stay up as well, to see Regina's soulmark appear.

Regina doesn't even care. In fact, part of her is eager to rub her own soulmark in her sister's face. It's said that "all soulmarks are equal", that no one is better than the other, but she suspects that's probably not true. At the very least, she is hoping for a mark in purple. It's her favorite color and much better than Zelena's stupid blue.

As the clock inches ever closer, but still so slowly, Regina's eyes stay glued to her wrist, mind conjuring up increasing fancy and ridiculous soulmark scripts. There's no name she has in mind, really, but she hopes it's something nice. Something nicer than Hades, certainly (she doesn't think that will be too hard). Her parents keep trying to get her to do something else, to get her mind off it so the wait won't be so bad, but everything fails. Not even bickering with her sister takes her attention of her wrists for long.

Finally though, after much, _much_ waiting, she find herself counting down the last minute until midnight. She is practically bouncing in excitement, hands held out in front of her, eyes bouncing between in each wrist, because she doesn't know which her mark will show up on. The rest of the household is in a similar state, gathered in a semi-circle around the little girl as the wait.

 _3…_

 _2…_

 _1..._

The clock strikes twelve, and a magical aura seems to envelope Regina. It is warm and soft and soothing all around her. For a moment, she thinks of running wildly through a field on a spring day, of the warm crackle of a fire in winter, of the loud, rushing water of a river. Then, the moment is gone, and the magic fades away.

Opening her eyes, Regina immediately looks towards her hands and is surprised.

Instead of finding a new soulmark on one wrist, she sees _two_.

Under the watch of four pairs of disbelieving eyes, chestnut brown ink swirls into the name _Daniel_ on her left wrist, while forest green ink spells out _Robin_ on her right.


	2. Chapter 2

After, there's a long moment of silence, where no one seems to know quite what to say. Regina is stunned and confused. She's never heard of anyone with two soulmarks before.

There are a lot of horror stories about people with none, but those are mostly rumors that fuel markless young children's paranoia over their seventh birthday, their mark day. If it was really true, she doubts it would be called that. But then again, she's pretty sure she heard some grownups gossiping about how some super scary killer they caught on the news was apparently markless. Not the dark mark of grief left on those whose soulmates had passed, but completely blank, uninked skin.

As confused and worried as Regina is, she can't help but feel a little relieved she's not like that person, whoever he is. The more she thinks on it, having two soulmarks instead of one can only be good, right? It's means there's more people to love, and more people who love her, in return.

Just as she begins to try to hesitantly state this, Zelena pipes up, crossing her arms as she demands, "Why does she get _two_ soulmarks? That's not fair! _I_ want to get more than one too!" It's a familiar whine, and Regina has to stop herself from sticking a tongue out at her sister, because their mother looks like she is in no mood for that kind of attitude right now.

She guesses right, because Cora quickly turns her ire towards her eldest daughter. " _Zelena!_ Getting two soulmarks is _not_ something to want." She gestures vaguely towards the offending wrists, looking faintly disgusted and making Regina shrink back, closer towards the more comforting form of her father. "Cease your foolish behaviour at once-I don't ever want to hear you say those words again!"

Despite the clear anger on their mother's face, Zelena does not back down, only frowning confusedly, " _Why?_ What's so bad about getting two people who love you?" There's something plaintive and childish in the question, something that speaks to deeper wants her sister tries to hide, but Regina only hears the surface of the question, and she agrees, for once, with Zelena's opinion.

Cora shakes her head at her daughter's naivete. Sometimes, she looks at them, and wonders, how they could have ever come for her. She doesn't think she was ever so wide-eyed about the world's truth (but she had been born into a hard life, and she's had to grow much, _much_ faster than her two foolish daughters).

"It is not about that. It is about what the world sees and thinks. This is not _normal_ , and this is not _good_." When she sees their continuing uncomprehending expression, she explains further, "Others will see this and think you are greedy or ungrateful. They will think you are strange and abnormal. They will call you terrible names and treat you like _trash_."

Both girls' eyes are wide as saucers as their mother speaks, and Regina curls into herself, as thougn the words are physical blows she desperately tries to shield herself from. Desperately looking up, towards her father, she asks, horrified, "Is that true, Daddy?"

There's a moment of hesitation, as Henry glances between his daughter's anxious eyes and the hard gaze of his wife. It is not _untrue_ , he thinks, though he also knows that it is not quite the whole truth either. He has no desire to his daughter hurting, for any reason, and he knows that because of her marks, Regina will be hurt no matter what. Perhaps they can at least put it off though.

So, he nods, saying gravely, "There are many people in this world who fear what they do understand, I'm afraid." He doesn't to shatter Regina's image of a beautiful, _good_ world, or take away the innocent joy of one's soulmark, but he also wants her to be careful, to be _safe_.

At his father's confirmation, Regina's face visibly falls, while Zelena looks on with all the condescending pity a nine-year-old is capable of. Patting the other girl's shoulder lightly, she remarks, "Tough luck, sis."

In the end, mother makes her hide one soulmark. Regines tries to refuse, but as with most things when it comes to her mother, she fails miserably. In truth, her mother's scary-sounding words about what would happen if they didn't cover it up have her scared enough to not protest as much as she could. Her father agreeing only scares her more, and Zelena's stupid words definitely don't help.

So, she must keep one of her soulmark's from other people's eyes for the rest of her life, apparently. Regina thinks that sounds like far too long, like forever, but she is smart enough not to say anything more when Mother mentions it. She only nods like a good girl, and feels a small swell in her heart when she receives a short pat to the head and a shadow of a smile. It manages to mostly cover up the way it feels like there's lead weight in her stomach.

Regina doesn't even know them, either of them, but it feels wrong, to cover one of them up. She doesn't think she loves them yet ( _how can she, when she is only seven years old and hasn't even met them yet?_ ) but already, she feels something for the inked names on both her wrists. It feels like she's betraying a dear friend, like she's ashamed of them, in keeping them secret like this.

There is a bit of hiccup when considering which name to cover up and which to leave out in the open. Regina gets no input whatsoever in this, of course, and her complaints are given no attention. Maybe that's for the best, because she didn't think she could choose between them anyway. After all, they're both meant to be her soulmates. Besides, it's not like she has anything beyond a name to help her decide, and picking one over the other all because of a name seems really shallow.

Of course, that is what her mother was doing. Cora looks down at the two names thoughtfully, seemingly weighing them through some process than Regina doesn't understand. She looks towards her sister and her father, then. Zelena seems to be in a mood again, face in a frown as her eyes are staring down at her inked wrist. Meanwhile, her father seems to sense the moment she is looking, and he turns towards her to give a reassuring smile. It helps a little bit, but then, Mother is declaring that she has made a decision and any little bit of relief is gone.

In the end, Cora wraps a wrist band around her right wrist, because _Robin_ did not give any proper indication of gender, being equally capable of belonging to a male or female. It would be just like her daughter, Cora thought, to be an embarrassment on this level as well. Though same-sex soulmates are more or less widely accepted, there was still a certain higher regard for heterosexual couples, because they were able to reproduce naturally. She doesn't tell her daughter this though, keeping quiet as she makes sure the band is firmly in place, with nothing peeking out.

Everyone else is also unusually silent during this, and for a long moment after, until her father quietly breaks it with a suggestion that the girls get to bed. Cora gives a curt nod, and quickly ushers both her daughters too their rooms. Unusually, there are no protests to this. Soon, they are both climbing up the steps, helped along by Henry trailing just behind them.

Left alone, Cora heads to the study, where there are books on soulmarks and soulmates and magic, carefully hidden in behind a certain removable panel. She has a full night of research ahead of her, and some phone calls to make. Though they are still young now, Cora has a clear future in mind for both her daughters, and none of it has anything to do with soulmates. Because, as she learned long ago, _love is weakness_ , and she will make sure they are not weak.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina reluctantly walks up the steps, her eyes keep going to her covered wrist, and she nearly stumbles at one point because of it, but Daddy manages to catch her just in time. A few steps ahead of her, Zelena looks down and rolls her eyes. Hands curling into fists, she can barely manage a glare back at her stupid sister, not when her heart feels too full with a weight she can't describe. Towering over the both of them, Henry shakes his head. "Come on now, girls. Off to bed."

He urges them on, a gentle hand on each back. Zelena shrugs it off quickly, practically bounding up the steps like they're locked in a race. Regina frowns at the sight, but cannot bring herself to move much faster, and it is only the warm hand at her back that keeps her on track.

Regina and Zelena sleep in separate but adjacent bedrooms on the second floor. By the time the two of them reach the top step, the redhead is already heading into and shutting the door to hers. There's a loud slam that makes Regina wince and Henry sigh, before silence reigns once more.

A hand nudges her towards the other door, and Regina looks up her father, pleading, though for what, she isn't quite certain. The band on her wrist seems to burn, and she wants with all her heart to rip it off. But even without Mother's hawk eyes on them at the moment, she knows the folly of such a move. Mother always seems to know, after all.

"Go to bed, _mija_." He told her gently, "I'll be with you in a moment."

It's not much of a promise, but Regina obeys, and Henry disappears into her sister's bedroom just as she enters hers.

Alone for the moment, her eyes stray to her wrists yet again. The covered skin prickles, and she bites her lip, debating. Finally, after a moment of indecision, she finds her need overwhelming her sense, and she slips the band off- _gently_ , because she knows she will have to put it back on, lest her mother have her head.

The moment she glimpses the green ink again, it's as though a great weight has been taken off her. She breathes out, a long sigh of relief, as her eyes greedily trace the flowing script on her wrist. _Robin_. A finger unconsciously reaches out to follow the curve of the line, as her mind conjures up images of what Robin might be like. They are murky and nebulous, because a name is not much hint, after all, and Regina mostly pictures the bird instead. Would Robin like birds? She herself likes them fine, though she much prefers horses.

Thinking of the brown pelt of the horse makes her remember the rich brown of her other soulmark, and her gaze slides down onto the other name on her skin. _Daniel_. That is a boy's name, probably. Though there is a girl in her class named Josh, so maybe she is wrong, and it is a girl's name, after all. Regina isn't sure which she wanted. Most of her friends are were girls, because most boys are kind of messy and mean, but she isn't sure if that meant she wanted her soulmate (soulmates, she supposed) to be girls. Maybe she is meant to have one of each. That makes sense, doesn't it?

Caught up in her thoughts, she doesn't hear the door opening behind her until it is too late.

" _Oh, Regina._ " Her father's soft voice breaks through her reverie, and she startles, whipping around to face him guiltily.

She tries vainly to hide her hands behind her back, but in her surprise, she drops the incriminating band on the floor. Wincing at the sight of such obvious evidence, she can only look pleadingly at her father. "Daddy… I don't want to cover up my mark." Maybe she doesn't understand why she has two instead of one, but she doesn't want to hide one, like she is ashamed. Robin, whoever they are, is still her soulmate, after all.

Henry only shakes his head at her, saying sadly. " _Mija_ , you know what your mother told you."

He places the band back on her wrist, securing it tightly, and as he does, Regina's eyes stray to the identical band on her father's wrist. Her mother has one on hers as well, and now, she has one to match.

Cora and Henry are not soulmates, so they cover up their wrists as tradition and politeness dictates. It is a kindness, supposedly, so that they will not have to look at the permanent reminders that say how _wrong_ their relationship is. These days, not all choose to cover their marks, instead displayed their wrists it all its mismatched glory (or sometimes, all too matching black scars). Non-soulmate couples are not entirely uncommon, not anymore, but there is still a certain difference, a kind of question mark that makes people look twice at such a couple, and it is no less true with Ckra and Henry, not even to the ones closest to them both.

More than once, Regina has wondered about her parents, and she knows Zelena has too. They are not soulmates. To their children, this is a perfectly sensible (and even _reassuring_ ) conclusion. Because looking at them, she is not sure she can continue to believe in the dream of a soulmate of she bad to face her parents as proof of it. But the fact that they _aren't_ soulmates only makes her more curious, more confused.

She had never seen underneath the bands on her parents' wrists. Both of them keep it, almost obsessively, hidden. Only once, Regina managed to catch a glimpse of a long name in gold flowing script on her mother's right wrist when the band slipped for just a second, but it was quickly hidden from view again. She has never caught even the smallest peek at her what lies underneath her father's wrist, though that is not as much of a mystery.

His soulmark is merely a dark, blotchy mark, the clear scars of deceased soulmate on his wrist. It looks a little like what a burnt black hole might look like, and it's an apt metaphor for how most people feel after their soulmates. Henry likes to pretend it doesn't hurt anymore though, that being with Cora now is enough (though how could it ever be, even if Cora wasn't the way she was?). Looking at their children (and he does think of Zelena as _his_ ), he thinks maybe they are _enough_.

Henry doesn't ever tell them the name that used to be on it though, remaining just as close lipped about it as their mother. He explains that it is highly taboo to ask the name of a soulmark scar, that what might seem like a simple question could trigger flashbacks and intense grief. Even with regular soulmarks, he explains that it is best not to ask, to wait for the people to speak or show it themselves. If they remain silent or if they cover it up, it usually means they don't want other people to know, so it would be extremely rude to force them.

To Regina and Zelena, who remain in a world where their friends and peers freely show off and discuss their soulmarks on end, this is a strange, foreign concept. Even Regina, who must now always keep a band on one wrist, still has at least one remaining hand to show off proudly.

But that is the difference between children and adults. Or perhaps, that is the difference between those who have met their soulmates and those who have not.

Zelena thinks that it is her biological father's name on her mother's wrist, and the way things didn't work out between them is the reason Cora seems to be especially strict with her. Regina is not as sure, thinks her sister might simply be entertaining some fantasies that their mother will someday be with her biological father again, and they'll be one big happy family.

When she was younger, and infinitely braver (or just _foolish_ ), she remembers asking her mother about the name. More than once. Always, there was anger, a swift and powerful scolding coupled with some punishment. But after, later, Regina remembered sadness. Quiet, hidden, but just barely visible within her mother's usual ice blue eyes.

As Regina looks down on her wrist, now covered by the same black band that stretches across both her parents' hands, she wonders if she will be like them as well now, if talk of soulmates will bring a frown to her face, and a permanent air of sadness to her heart. She dearly hopes not, but she is afraid that it is so, because, as her covered skin prickles again, she already feels a weight settles between her heart, like a rock she can never get out.


End file.
